Ok to give some back story, I got a couple old metal big hat models off ebay a while ago that were terribly painted. I look up online about how to strip them came up with usually stuff like concentrated cleaners such as simple green. But after talking with my Dad and other people, and looking through stuff in my garage I found other stuff that I wanted to test. What I came up with was Brake fluid, 200 proof alcohol (%100 ethanol), and condenser cleaner. So after setting everything up I went into m mad scientist mode. Here is the results I got.
Control (simple green)
Left a lot of flanks of thick paint on it even after 48 hour soak but got most of it off with a toothbrush.
200 proof alcohol
first off DO NOT TRY AT HOME I am a professional 17 year old idiot. I have the burns and scars to prove it, some of which i got from this.
I let the model soak for 24 hours. Some of the paint melted off turning the water this orangish color but left large amount of paint in the cracks that I couldn’t get out even after i scrubbed it with the toothbrush
It may have worked better than the control but not worth the chemical burns
Condenser cleaner
I let the models soak for 24 hours had about the same results off the control but left the model slightly discolored a grayish white foggy color.
Brake fluid
This had to be the best results. I let the model soak for 24 hours but just like the alcohol it started to metal some off the paint away but a lot more than the alcohol. Also when I took it out to scrub it with a toothbrush, all the paint i could get to came off almost instantly.
So the conclusion to my experiment was that brake fluid worked the best. I know that there is so many different ways to strip your models and better way than this but I wanted to see if i could figure out an easy way to do it with the stuff you have at home and not have to go and buy stuff you are only going to use once.
Personally I use a good quality turpentine, (the kind of turpentine you can find in an art supply shop not in a supermarket )
And if its a good one you let them one week in a closed jar and shazam �YO� completely clean .
The only things that resist me is a really old and white very shiny undercoat on a lammasu. I really don’t know what this painting can be an I have try many things with no success
The only things that resist me is a really old and white very shiny undercoat on a lammasu. I really don't know what this painting can be an I have try many things with no success
Timothy Archer
I too have found that white undercoat on older models as well as some coloured paints probably enamels that were very hard to remove. I've used Acetone, Brake Fluid, Dettol, and turps at different times mostly with positive results. Sometimes putting stuff in a jar of whichever one and going back weeks later. A last resort is an actual paint stripper for the ones that don't respond to anything else.
Hint No1:- Do Not put a whole Hobgoblin Bolt Thrower in Acetone to strip the paint. because the wheels are now plastic blobs.
Dettol. Let your minis soak for 24 hours, then scrub them with a toothbrush. I tried it on 40+ models and works like a charm. Here, read the tutorial written by Pyro.
The funny things is that metal models are really a breeze to clean, plastics... now there's a challenge.
snowblizz
Plastics are easily stripped of paint using Testors brand ELO. I've used it for years, it won't melt plastics like other paint strippers
http://www.testors.com/product-catalog/testors-brands/model-master/primers-top-coats-thinners-cleaners/paint-and-decal-remover/
The Dettol I grew up with and still use is an antiseptic.
(Ingredients = Chloroxylenol, Pine Oil & Isopropanol).
The isopropanol is in this form an alcohol so I'm guessing it is the bit that does the work for us.
Abecedar
Don't discount the pine oil. I've used liquid pine soap to remove paint.
15-30% soap, rest is sodium hydroxymethylglycenate